PART XVI

Vivli rolled to the side, screaming involuntarily as the skeleton smashed its sword down beside her. It rose it to repeat the strike, and she pulled her paddle off of her belt in panic. She held it up to block the sword coming down beside her. It sliced the paddle effortlessly in half and only a split second reaction of swinging to the side saved her from death.
"I don't know why I bother." She grumbled, looking at her latest staff broken. The creature pulled its sword up, and prepared to drive it downwards. She quickly cast banish as a last attempt to protect herself. The skeleton faltered as this spell hit, and she got up to run. She cast a much more powerful version as soon as she was on her feet, and it stumbled back, letting out a wail as if it was in pain.

She ran, but the skeleton followed at incredible speeds. A fireball from a black mage hit it, blowing off its arm, but it continued without concern. It was rapidly gaining on the fleeing mithra, and moments before it pounded to finish her off, somebody leapt into the fray with a sword, knocking it over.

Zinkata sliced off the head of the skeleton and turned to Vivli.

"Come on!" He cried, pulling her into a small house away from the fighting. Vivli was doubled over, panting.

"Did you see that?" She gasped. "It stumbled when I hit it with banish, but continued regardless when black magic hit it." She stopped for air. "White magic must hurt them."

"So?" Zinkata asked.

"It means powerful enough white magic might kill them. We might be able to win." Vivli was trying to sound enthusiastic.

"But what's powerful enough to kill them?" Zinkata was quick to ask the obvious question.

"Right. White magic heals, but has an opposite effect on the undead, right?" Vivli wasn't looking for an answer, but Zinkata nodded anyway. "So with any luck-" The door burst down and in marched one of the skeletal troops. Vivli began to cast something. Zinkata ran at it, and started to duel it. His sword was knocked from his hand and the warrior stumbled back. Vivli cast a spell, and a white beam of light shot through the skeleton, before a bright white glow grew until it was so bright both had to look away from it. When it faded, the skeleton lay lifeless on the floor. "As I was saying," Vivli sounded very smug, "Raise should be powerful enough." Zinkata looked impressed.

"Now we need to get this word to everybody else!" He exclaimed. "Come on!" He dragged her outside and back into the battle raging on the streets.

Bootus pounded another skeleton into the ground, and ran as it was reforming.

"This is impossible!" He yelled to Voldos. "They just keep coming!"

"We've got even bigger problems!" Voldos yelled back. "I think they've decided to attack outside the walls as well!" The sealed gate to Bastok which they were conveniently near rumbled with the sound of troops outside trying to get in. "We can't retreat! We're completely surrounded!" The gate burst open and more troops began to flow in. Voldos unleashed arrows, but they were useless. He drew his sword, and the two heroes charged the attacking skeletons.

Vivli was shouting something, but her voice was lost in chaos.

"WHITE MAGES!" Zinkata bellowed louder than the little mithra thought possible. "REFORM! FALL BACK! WE HAVE A NEW STRATEGY!" Mages began to run towards Zinkata. It wasn't really a case of 'falling back', the entire city was occupied and under attack. There was no where left to fall back to. A small group of mages gathered round, less than a dozen.

"Raise will kill them!" Vivli quickly explained.

"We can't keep casting raise!" Protested a tarutaru.

"Our magic won't last that long!" An elvaan pointed out.

"We'll need to adopt a typical archer strategy." Vivli had no idea about the strategy's of archers, but now wasn't really the time to point that out. "Half of us cast while half of us recharge, and then we switch."

"With this many of us? We won't last two seconds!" The elvaan seemed argumentative.

"We have no choice!" Vivli cried. "Spread the word to any white mages you can see. Pair up with someone to cover you while you recharge and vice versa. Try and stick with some melee fighters. Now go! We're the only ones that can save the city!"

Voldos spotted a large airship soaring above them.

"Oh great, now they're going to attack via the air." He sighed. "We're most definitely going to die!"

"Again!" Bootus reminded him. "This happens all the time!" Somebody through ropes over the side of the increasingly low airship.

"That's not a warship." Bootus pointed out. "It's a passenger ship. A Bastokian passenger ship. The one we used to evacuate the civilians."
"Then who's in it?" Voldos asked. A gunshot ran out, blowing off the head of a nearby skeleton. Andrew swung over the edge of the ship, hanging onto the rope. Celphie joined in. The two began to swing down, and suddenly multiple elvaans leapt over and joined in. They all swung down and landed in the centre of the city.

The armies of San D'Oria had safely retreated back when the city was originally invaded, and any left behind had escaped during the incident with the Raven. And now, the San D'Orian army was swinging down ropes into Bastok.

"Didn't think we'd sit by and miss this, did you?" Andrew asked as he landed, firing his gun at a quadav skeleton. "They reinforced their numbers?" He asked, pointing to the quadav.

"Yeah." Sighed Voldos. "They used the mines to attack us."

"Ha!" Laughed an elvaan. "Bloody Bastok can't take care of itself. Not surprised they're in this much trouble." Voldos went to defend it, before realising that would be silly because he was an elf.

"How's the battle going?" Celphie asked, running up beside Bootus.

"How does it look?" Cried the galka.

"Good point." Celphie nodded, before shooting at another skeleton.

The battle raged. Now the forces of good had the numbers, but unfortunately, they were still not invincible. This meant that the war raging inside the city walls was going to be a short one. More and more white mages had teamed up, casting raise and killing the skeletons, but it simply wasn't enough. The one small weakness couldn't be exploited as effectively as needed.

"FALL BACK!" Vivli shouted as loud as she possibly could. The mages were in danger now, and she knew if they died, then all hope was lost. At least, that's the reason she would claim. She was actually just incredibly scared. The white mages ran back into the groups of San D'Orian and Bastokian warriors.

"Nice strategy, Viv." Bootus grumbled. "Now what?"

"Urm." Vivli paused to think. "Hey!" She suddenly called, getting the mage's attention. "Couldn't we cast one big spell? Together? Like they used to do during in the war?"

"It's possible." A hume said with a shrug.

"No time to find out! Go!" Vivli began to cast, as did the others. She could feel their own magical energies, and they could feel hers. Together they created the ultimate combination of pure white magic.

As they unleashed this, the tides turned. It was simple, the combined raise spell ripped through the skeletons, knocking them down, and at the same time had the handy side effect of resurrecting many of the fallen troops for the forces of good. This single broad stroke instantly rose moral dramatically. As the white mages dropped down to rest and prepare to unleash another attack of magic, the skeletons retreated, regrouping in the centre of the city.

The forces of the living surrounded the skeletons, who were gathered around the fountain area. The skeletons were fighting off the attacking warriors with ease, but the warriors were only intending to hold them where they were, and not let them escape.

A bright white light rocketed through the city, and again the skeletons fell. The remaining creatures turned and fled into the mines, retreating. Great cheers echoed throughout the city.

The Light Warriors ran to each other in the middle of a ruined city street. Bootus was bleeding heavily, but didn't seem to care. The others seemed relatively unharmed. Vivli was shaking with exhaustion from casting, but the pure joy of victory kept her standing.

"We did it!" She cried. "Now we can fight back!"

"Launch a strike on San D'Oria?" Zinkata asked. "Seems possible, if not a little fool hardy."

"We can decide that later!" Voldos yelled happily. "For now, let's celebrate and clear this up!" He paused. "Typical that San D'Oria had to bail you guys out."

"Us guys." Bootus said, reminding Voldos he was technically a citizen of Bastok.

Meanwhile, in the city of San D'Oria, Lich listened intently, clutching a small black pearl.

"Strike at me?" He laughed. "What do they think they're doing?"

"My lord?" Somebody from the darkness asked in confusion.

"Ah, my new servant." Lich said with a strange sort of smile (being a skeleton it was pretty impressive to see him smile). "You see, a linkshell is a fantastic way of communicating, but if you lose one and it falls into the wrong hands it is the ultimate piece of spy equipment." He held out his hand, displaying Voldos's linkshell pearl he had stolen during the battle with them.

"So they plan to attack?" The figure asked.

"To do so would be suicide. My troops could still eliminate them!" Lich spat. "Besides, soon, I shall be joined by the others. When the four of us are united again, we shall be unstoppable!"
"So what is your bidding, my master?" Came the question.

"Reclaim the orb from the Light Warriors." Lich ordered. "As soon as it is in my possession, I shall be able to achieve my goal and dispose of this world once and for all!"

"And if they resist?" Asked the figure.

"You are powerful. Destroy them" Lich stated.

The four Light Warriors had been called to meet the President while the city was being cleared up and repairs started.
"It seems that we have won, gentlemen." The President said proudly. Vivli coughed awkwardly, deciding not to shout aloud this time. "Ur. And lady." He quickly added.

"Should I be offended he hesitated?" Vivli whispered.

"Well, you do look like a boy." Bootus shot back. Vivli looked extremely angry, but couldn't argue because of the location. Bootus knew this, so chuckled to himself.

"Perhaps your concern was unfounded." Suggested the President.

"This is but a temporary victory." Zinkata pointed out. "We now know a weakness in Lich's armies, but if we do not stop him soon, he'll attack again and again until he's victorious."

"Not to mention Lich is the King of the Undead, yes. But the other fiends aren't." Vivli noted. "If he successfully brings back the other fiends then he'll have a whole new army ready to attack that won't be phased by white magic."

"So what are our chances of taking out Lich?" The President asked.
"We've fought him twice and lost." Zinkata answered. "He's very powerful. Even with white magic, I can't guarantee victory."

"Other courses of action then?" The President prompted.

"We return to Mhaura via the Raven." Zinkata decided. "Now that Lich's army is weakened, he'll need the orb we possess before he can attack Bastok again. We'll head to Mhaura. It's small and easy to defend, not to mention across the water. Lich will be unable to attack us there."

"Once there, we can send the remaining civilians to Bastok or Windurst. Either one of the cities is much safer than being holed up in the tiny port town." Vivli suggested, feeling that as a Light Warrior she should at least be doing some thinking.

"We'll send airships with you to assist." The President told her, and Vivli crossed her arms, feeling quiet proud.

Before leaving and heading back towards Mhaura, the four encountered Celphie and Andrew.

"I take it saving the day was your idea?" Zinkata asked.

"Naturally." Andrew smiled. "I figured you'd need help when the first airships arrived transporting Bastok's civilians." There was an awkward pause.
"Thanks." Vivli was the one who finally said it. "You saved us."

"Consider it returning the favour." Andrew said with a smirk.

"You coming back to Mhaura with us?" Zinkata asked.

"No." Celphie spoke up. "We're staying here and helping the military rebuild the city. The President himself requested it of us."

"Wow. Congratulations." Voldos sounded impressed. "Of course, remember, it was San D'Oria that saved the day." Andrew smirked.

"I actually think most of them only came so they could mock the people of Bastok for years afterwards." He explained with a laugh. Voldos sighed, knowing that that made perfect sense.

Lich listened intently.

"Mhaura. They think I won't come?" He paused. "My young subject shall do more than my army ever could. They think too big. They expect an army when one man can achieve so much. They will be crushed before him." He turned to two black orbs circling one that seemed to be radiating with dark energy. "And then you will be reborn and Vana'diel shall be ours!"

Four figures wondered off the ramp of the Raven in Mhaura. One looked very ill. Cid followed the Light Warriors down the ramp. Civilians rushed around them.

"What happened?" Somebody asked.

"Is Bastok okay?" Asked another.

"Did we win?" A third asked.

"Yeah, yeah, we won." Zinkata said wearingly.

"WE WON!" Somebody cheered, and the whole town exploded into cries of victory. The Light Warriors were lifted up on the shoulders of the crowd and carried through the streets.

"Uh oh." Vivli mumbled.

"Uh oh?" Voldos repeated. Vivli threw up, and instantly they dropped her. Bootus laughed aloud (who had also been dropped, but mainly due to weight issues).

Some time later, after much apologising on Vivli's part, the four met up with Dedji who had returned from Kazham. Alone.

"Where's Mum and Dad?" Vivli asked instinctively straight away.
"Things arrrrre a bit complicated in Kazham." Dedji answered. "The chieftainess was badly wounded in the attack. She is rrrrrecoverrrring now."

"So who's in charge?" Vivli asked.

"We are." Dedji said with a smile. "Well, mother and father." She added with a shrug. "Seems without leaderrrrrrrship they decided to let the rrrrrrroyal family rrrrrrrule until the chieftainess was fully rrrrrrecoverrrrred."

"So, Princesses, you actually are real princesses now?" Bootus asked in his most mocking tone.

"I was always a rrrrreal Princess!" Dedji snapped.

"Don't encourage him!" Cried Vivli.

"Well," Zinkata began, "If Kazham is in that state, maybe we could help. If we keep on the move, then there's no way Lich can find us. The orb'll be safe from him."

"Okay!" Vivli said cheerfully, wanting to see Kazham again. "Let's go!"

Lich laughed aloud.

"No way I can track you?" He paused. "Your ignorance is amusing. But you will not escape me." He turned to the orbs. "You will not escape us. We will be reborn and the world will be ours!" His voice echoed throughout the castle, forcing guards all over to snap to attention and ponder whether Lich was aware the heroes couldn't actually hear him. They weren't used to metaphorical ranting, being only mechanised skeletons.